


i picture myself coming out and my parent's heartbreak flooding all of india

by queenofthefallenfics



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (because of the aesthetic), (can't believe that's not a tag already wow), 500 Words Challenge, Bisexual Female Character of Color, Black Lavender Brown, F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lesbian Character of Color, Lowercase, Memories, Post-Second War with Voldemort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 05:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15356907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofthefallenfics/pseuds/queenofthefallenfics
Summary: a look at parvati and lavender through the years





	i picture myself coming out and my parent's heartbreak flooding all of india

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from A.W.'s 'Witch Hunt' which is a great poem about being both a lesbian and Desi, really powerfully stuff y'all. The link is below, please listen to it!!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwZoq2gfVOc

parvati has been friends with Lavender for seven years and she remembers all their important memories and milestones with ease like she’s flipping through a photo album.

the good ones stick out the most to her, neon lights and flashing signs of the smiling and beaming girls they were.

she remembers the first time they fell asleep in mcgonagall’s class because they stayed up late painting each other’s nails over and over again. she remembers the two of them skipping rocks on the black lake instead of going to flying class. she remembers their first trip to hogsmeade and how madam puddifoot gave them discounts on the tea they shared. she remembers trying on dozens of dresses for the yule ball (and what a horrific disaster that night was) and Lavender and her practice kissing (‘so that zacharie won’t know I’ve never kissed before!’). she remembers the thrill as they ran through the halls coming back from da meetings, giggling breathlessly.

parvati also remembers the bad memories, dark windows and muffled sobs of the gryffindor children they were.

she remembers the two of them sharing a bed as they both struggled with homesickness. she remembers skipping classes to avoid slytherin’s monster and trying to stay strong for Lavender. she remembers holding Lavender as she cried over her dead pet, whispering into her hair in hindi soothing words, like her mother did when she was a child, in their old home in india. she remembers the screams when harry came back holding cedric’s body and the taste of fear at the last school feast, instead of treacle tart. she remembers carving ‘i will not look at women’ into her hand. she remembers the countless checkpoints everytime they left the school grounds.

but the war was over, their final year a blur of curses and potions and sneaking kisses with other pureblood heiresses as they both pretended it wasn’t something hidden and shameful.

moving in was natural. sleeping in the same bed was habit. sharing clothes was ordinary. telling their friends was an experience.

‘you two aren’t together?’ ‘wait, you weren’t shagging at all last year? not even once?’ ‘... but you went to the yule ball with me.’ ‘... but you dated me.’

telling Lavender’s family was easy. the heat didn’t fade from Lavender’s onyx neck after her brother’s comment about shared lingerie or her father’s poor attempt at a ‘shovel talk’ as hermione called it. her mother took parvati aside and simply asked her to treat Lavender right.

‘the day i treat her poorly, is the day i treat myself poorly. because she is a part of me, like my hands, my lungs, my heart.’

telling her family was a struggle and relief. padma gave them a lovely painting and that was the best reaction they got.

but when they moved into the small studio apartment closer to knockturn alley that either of them are really comfortable with, because without parvati’s trust fund, they couldn’t afford their london flat, everything was okay.


End file.
